Easy Butter Chicken

5 from 3 votes

This Butter Chicken is all made in one skillet and a healthier version of the restaurant favorite! The chicken is extra tender thanks to the yogurt marinade and the creamy tomato sauce is so good!

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Additional Time30

Total Time1 10

Course: Chicken + Poultry, Skillet + One Pot Meals

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: butter, butter chicken, chicken, dinner, easy, garam masala, gluten free, Indian, skillet

Servings: -5 servings

Author: Danae Halliday

Ingredients

Chicken Marinade

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt, low fat or full fat are best
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or water
2 cloves garlic, grated (1 teaspoon)
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
Salt and pepper to taste, I used about 3/4 - 1 teaspoon of salt

Tomato Sauce

2 tablespoons butter
1 cup diced yellow onion
1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
Salt and pepper to taste
8 ounce can tomato sauce
1 cup half and half or cream, room temperature
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt, room temperature, low fat or full fat are best

Instructions

In a large bowl whisk together all of the ingredients for the marinade and then add in the diced chicken. Stir everything together until the chicken is thoroughly coated in the yogurt marinade. Let the chicken marinate for 30-60 minutes.
Heat a tablespoon of olive oil (or additional butter) in a large skillet. Add in the chicken leaving the excess marinade sticking to it. Sauté until it's cooked through and then remove it from the skillet and onto a plate.
Over medium heat, add the butter to the skillet. When the butter is melted add in the diced onion, garam masala, turmeric, cumin, salt and pepper. Sauté until the onion is tender, about 3 minutes, and then pour in the tomato sauce. Lower the heat and let the sauce simmer for 5-10 minutes so that it thicken slightly.
Slowly pour in the half and half or cream stirring the sauce as you pour. If using half and half be sure the sauce isn't boiling or you'll run the risk of it splitting.
Add the chicken back into the skillet and remove it from the heat. Off the heat, add in the Greek yogurt. Stir everything together until the chicken is coated and you can't see any white streaks from the yogurt. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve over white or brown rice.

Nutrition